Automatic sludge-discharge apparatus for boiler-washout systems



Dec. 18 1923. 11,478,132

F. W. MILLER AUTOMATIC SLUDGE DISCHARGE APPARATUS FOR BOILER WASHOUTSYSTEMS Filed May 27. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Dec. 18 1923. mmm

F. w. MILLER AUTOMATIC SLUDGE DISCHARGE APPARATUS FOR BOILER WASHOU'ISYSTEMS Filed May 27, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 18, 1923.

T A T if.

FRANK VT. MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Application filed May 27,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK XV. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Sludge-Discharge Apparatus for Boiler-lVashout Systems, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates in general to sludge discharge apparatus, andwhile capable of various uses, it is illustrated herein in connectionwith a locomotive boiler wash out system, such for instance as thatdisclosed in my pending application, Serial No. 451,105, filed March 10,1921, although it should be understood that the invention is notrestricted to employment in connection with any specific type of boilerwashing system.

In the operation of systems of this general character, the water andsteam are blown off from a locomotive boiler into, a separator, wherethescale, dirt, sludge and other heavy impurities are collected and thesteam and water areseparated and conducted through individual pipes orconduits for subsequent use in Washing out and refilling theboiler.

In order that the system may not become stopped up, it is necessary thatthe sludge and sediment thus collected be discharged to the sewer orother means for disposing of the same, and, where the discharge is leftto the control of the operator, this duty is liable to be overlooked,with the result that such quantities may accumulate as to interfere withthe operation of the system. Furthermore, the sludge becomes caked inthe collector by the action of the steam from repeated blow-offs so thatit can thereafter be removed only with extreme difficulty.

One of the primary purposes of my present invention is to provide anapparatus which will be entirely automatic in its operation and whichwill cause the sludge to be discharged after each blowing off operationor oftener if desired, so that an undesirable accumulation of sludgeinthe collector is prevented and liability of the same becoming caked isobviated.

Anotherpurpose of the invention is to provide an apparatus which, whileautomatic in operation, Wlll be subject to control and regulation sothat the length of time which will elapse after the blowing offoperation has begun, before the sludge will 1922. Serial No. 564,167.

be discharged from the collector, may be regulated and controlled tomeet the requirements of any particular installation.

.A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which willbe accurate and reliable in operation, not apt to get out of order, andone which can be economically manufactured and readily installed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention should be readilyappreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawmgs:

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective elevation of an apparatus embodying myinvention;

' Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the control valve;

Fig. 3 is a similar View of the shut-oil valve;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view, illustrating the operation of the valvescontrolled by the tilting tank;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tilting tank; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the Valves controlled by themovements of the tank.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, reference character 7indicates generally a separator in the form of a frustro-conicalreceptacle to which steam, water and sludge are delivered from a boilerbeing blown off through the blow-off line 8. The blow-off products aredischarged tangentially into the separator from which the steam isdelivered through a steam line 9 to apparatus by which its heat unitsare conserved for refilling purposes. The sludge, scale, sediment andother solid impurities settle toward the bottom of the separator and thewater from which the sludge and steam have been separated is dischargedthrough the line 11 to a tank in which it is collected for use aswashout or refilling water, as desired.

The separator may be supported in any convenient manner at a suitableheight, and as illustrated herein, it is carried upon legs or standards12. While the sludge may be delivered directly from the separator to thesewer, I prefer to mount immediately beneath the separator a drum orreceptacle 13 which may be termed a collector and into which the sludgeand other solid particles tending to accumulate in the bottom of thetill Bil

conveyor are delivered through the pipe 14. The collector serves to alarge extent to prevent the blow-off steam from coming 111 con tact withthe collected sludge, thus reducing the liability of calling and servingto maintain the sludge in liquid or semi-liquid condition so that itwill readily discharge to the sewer when the discharge valve is opened.

A discharge pipe 15 leadingfrom the bottom of the collector 13 isconnected with the pipe 16 leading to the sewer preferably by a pair ofbranches 17 and 18. In the branch 17 there is disposed a manuallyoperable discharge valve 19 which may be manually opened to effect thesludge discharge when desired. The branch 18 is preferably provided witha shut-off valve 21 which may be closed when inspection or repairs ofthe valve 22 become necessary.

Valve 22, shown in section in Fig. 3, comprises a casing 23 providedwith a seat 24 adapted to be closed by a valve 25, the stem 26 of whichextends upwardly through the casing into a housing or cylinder 27 whereit is connected to a piston 28. This piston is normally urged upwardlyto open the valve 25 by a coiled expansion spring 29, the force ofwhich, however, is overcome by water pressure in the cylinder above thepisston admitted thereto through a water supply pipe 31 connected withany suitable source of water supply under pressure, such as a city mainfor instance, and preferably equipped with a shut-off valve 32. A smallbleed pipe 33 leading from the cylinder above the piston to a pointbelow the valve 25, permits a restricted flow of water from the cylinderso as to facilitate the opening of the valve when the pressure in thecylinder is relieved, as will be later explained. Normally the pressureabove the piston 23 will hold the valve 25 against its seat, and atpredetermined intervals, by means of. mechanism which will now beexplained, this pressure is relieved to permit the opening of the valveunder the force of spring 29, so that the contents of the collector maybe discharged to the sewer. A branch pipe 34 communicates at one endwith the pipe 31 and at its other with a valve casing 35 in which thereis disposed a vertically reciprocatory valve 36, shown diagrammaticallyin Fig. 4. A discharge pipe 37 leading from the valve casing isconnected with a pipe 38 which delivers to the sewer or other point ofdisposal.

The valve 36 is connected through a lever 39 carried upon a fulcrum post41 to a laterally projecting rod 42 fixed to one side of a tilting tank43 which is fulcrumed at one end in the valve housings 35 and 44 upontrunnions 45 and46, the trunnion to being closed and the trunnion 45serving as a supply and discharge pipe for the tank. The tank isnormally retained in the inclined position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, by acounter-weight 47 mounted upon a lever 43 which is fulcrumed through alink 49 upon the frame yoke 51 and is connected by a link 52 with theend of the tank. When in this position the valve 36 is closed so thatwater pressure delivered through the pipe 31 is exerted upon the piston28 to maintain the sludge discharge valve 25 in closed position. Thevalve casing 44 has connected thereto the trunnion pipe 45 communicatingwith the tank, the discharge pipe 38 communicating with the sewer and asupply pipe 52 through which water is supplied, as will be laterexplained. lVithin this casing there is mounted a valve 53 controllingcommunication between the pipes 52 and 45 and a valve 54 controllingcommunication between the pipes 45 and 38. Valve 53 is carried by a stem55 connected ,with a lever 56 which is fulcrumed upon a post 57. Valve54 is carried by a stem 58 connected with a lever 59 which is 'fulcrumedupon a post 61. The outer ends of levers 56 and 59 are connected throughsuitable links 62 with a rod 63 fixedly attached to the tank 43 at theopposite side from the steam rod 42. When the tank is in the tiltedposition shown the valve 53 will be opened, permitting an inflow ofwater from the supply pipe 52 into the tank, while the valve 54 will beclosed precluding discharge through the pipe 38, as shown in Fig. 6,and'as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4.

At a level somewhat below the water discharge pipe 11, there isconnected to the separator 7 a pipe 64 equipped with a hand shut oilvalve 65 and sediment collector 66. When the water in the separator isabove the level of the intake end of pipe 64, water will flow throughthis pipe and be discharged therefrom into a funnel 67 attached to thesupply pipe The amount of water which will thus flow from the separatorto the tilting tank 43 may be regulated and controlled by a regulatingvalve 68, which as will be apparent from 2, is merely a needle valvecomprising preferably a somewhat blunt needle 69 and having its stem 71shaped at its outer end to receive a wrench by which the valve may beadjusted.

In the operation of my! invention, after the blowing oil operation isbegun, water will accumulate in the collector until it reaches the levelof the pipe 11, through which additional water will be delivered. Assoon as the water level rises above the intake end of the pipe 64,.thewater will begin to flow at a rate determined by the adjustment of thevalve 68 into the tilting tank 43. The pipes 64 and 52 might, ifpreferred, be one continuous pipe, but for inspection purposes, inorder-that the operator may determine whether the system is lUUoperating properly, I prefer to interpose in the pipe the funnel 67. Thesludge separated by the separator will accumulate in the collector 13since the discharge valve 25' is maintained in closed position underpressure, the valve 36 at this time being closed.

lVhen a sufiicient weight of water has accumulated in the tank 43 tooverbalance the weight 47, the tank will tilt to a substantiallyhorizontal position, thereby closing valve 53 to shut off further flowof water to the tank, opening valve 54 to permit the water in the tankto fiow therefrom and opening valve 36 to relieve the pressure in thecylinder above the piston 28, so that the discharge valve 25 will beopened under the influence of the spring 29. This opening movement isfacilitated by the bleed pipe 33, through which part of the water in thecylinder is discharged, the remainder being forced back into the pipe31;

The parts will remain in this position with the discharge valve 25 open,permitting the sludge from the collector 13 and the separator 7, todischarge until the weight 47 again overba-lances the weight of thetank, whereupon the tank will be tilted to inclined position permittingan inflow of water thereto, and the valve 36 will be closed therebyreestablishing the pressure in the cylinder 27 to close the dischargevalve 25. Water will continue to flow to the tank from the separatoreven after the blowing off operation is completed until the water levelin the separator falls below the intake end of the pipe 64, whereuponthe parts will remain quiescent until the water level in the collectoris again raised by the next blowing off operation.

While the apparatus may be adjusted so that the sludge will bedischarged several times during a single blowing off operation, it ispreferably so regulated by setting the valve 68 that the tank 43 willnot be filled sutliciently to tilt it to horizontal position until aftera blowing off operation has been completed. The connection of the pipewith the collector 7 is made a sufiicient dis tance below the pipe 11,so that sufficient water will flow from the collector to the tank toensure a. sludge discharge for each blowing off operation, and if thevalve 68 be properly set, the tank 43 will not tilt until after theblowing off operation has been completed, whereupon the water flowingfrom the collector to the tank, in addition to the water delivered tothe tank during the blowing off operation, will cause the apparatus tooperate so as to discharge the sludge collected from the blow-off.

It is believed that the principle of my invention and its mode ofoperation will be understood from the foregoing, and it should bemanifest that the details of construction illustrated and described arecapable of con siderable modification without departing from the scopeof the inventionvas definedin the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an automatic sludge delivery apparatus, the combination of asludge collector connected with the blow-off line from a boiler, a.sludge discharge valve for said collector, means actuated hydraulicallyby the blow off water for causing said valve to open, and an adjustableregulating device whereby the length of time after the beginning ofinflow of blow-off water tosaid collector at which said valve will beopened may be regulated.

2. In an automatic sludge delivery apparatus, the combination of asludge collector adapted to be connected with the blow-off line fromaboiler, a sludge discharge valve, means actuated by water deliveredfrom said collector for actuating said valve, and regulating meanswhereby such water delivery and consequently the time of actuation maybe controlled.

3. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of meansfor separatinfg sludge from the blow-off products of a boiler, meansactuated by blow-off water operation for causing the discharge of theseparated sludge, and means whereby the time of such discharge withrespect to the initial delivery of water to said separating means may beregulated.

4. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of aseparator for boiler blow off products, a sludge discharge valve, meansactuated by blow off water for opening said valve, and manuallyadjustable water flow control means for regulating the time of actuationof said open ing means.

5. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of aseparator for blown off boiler products, a sludge discharge valve, andmeans for actuatin said valve, including means for supplying water underpressure tothe valve, and means actuated by the weight of blown offwater for controlling said pressure.

6. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of aseparator for products blown oif from the boiler, a collector adapted toreceive the sludge from said separator, a valve controlling the discharge of sludge from said collector, pressure actuated means fornormally maintaining said valve in closed position, and means actuatedby blown off water for controlling the pressure on said pressureactuated means.

'7. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of aseparator, a sludge discharge valve, pressure actuated means fornormally closing said valve, a tilting tank, means for supplying blownoff Water to said tank from said separator, and a valve actuated by saidtank for controlling said pressure.

8. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of aseparator, a tilting tank, a pipe tor conducting water from saidseparator to said tank, a regulating valve interposed in said pipe, asludge discharge valve, and means whereby said discharge valve iscontrolled by said tank.

9. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of acollector, a tilting tank, means for delivering Water to said tank fromsaidcollector, means for regulating the rate of flow of said water, andmeans controlled by the position of said tank tor controlling thedischarge from said collector.

10. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of aseparator, a sludge collector connected therewith, and means including atilting tank controlled by the water level in said separator for causingan intermittent sludge discharge from saidcollector.

11. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of aseparator, a sludge collector connected therewith, a discharge pipeleading from said collector, a discharge valve therein, a tilting tank,means for supplying water to said tank from said separator, and meanswhereby said discharge valve is actuated upon movement of said tank.

12. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination of aseparator for boiler bl W oil products, a discharge connection leadingfrom said separator, a discharge valve therein, a pipe leading from saidseparator above the bottom thereof, and intermittently operating meansactuated by a blow on? product. delivered from said separator throughsaid pipe for operating said discharge valve.

13. In an automatic sludge discharge apparatus, the combination ofseparator for boiler blow cit products, a pipe leading therefrom,sediment collector connected with said pipe, a regulating valveinterposed in said pipe, a discharge valve, and means actuated by thedelivery through said pipe for operating said discharge valve.

142. In an automatic sludge delivery apparatus, the combination of aseparator, a discharge pipe leading therefrom, a discharge valve locatedtherein, a piston connected to said valve, 21- pipe for supplying Waterunder pressure to said piston, a reliei pipe connected with said supplypipe, a valve for opening and closing said'relief pipe, and meansactuated by blow ott' water for intermittently opening and closing saidvalve.

FRANK W. MILLER.

